St. Jude warns on battery issue

The medical device maker warns that batteries in some of its implanted heart devices are running out prematurely. Fred Katayama reports.

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Warning from St. Jude Medical. The medical device maker says lithium batteries in some of its implanted heart devices are at risk of running out prematurely. It says two patients linked to that issue have died. Saying that the problem is rare, the company advised doctors to immediately replace devices with damaged batteries.
The advisory comes as the FDA probes the company over allegations that St. Jude's heart devices are vulnerable to fatal cyber hacks. In April, the company agreed to be bought by Abbott Laboratories for $25 billion.
Needham senior analyst Michael Matson said, "These are complicated products. Problems sometime happen, and there are recalls sometimes. I don't think this problem would scare Abbott away from the deal."
An Abbott spokesman said the company expects the deal to be completed by year end.
Shares of St. Jude and Abbott both falling at the start of trading.

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